hamblet



March 10, 1925. 1,529,354

A. M. HAMBLET METHOD OF MAKING ARTICLES FROM FIBROUS COMPOSITION Filed Sept. 16, 1922 INVENTOR A 522, 1% Amaz 57'' Patented Mar. 10, 1925. I

UNITED ,STATES' PATENT OFFICE.

ABEL M.

H AHBLET, OIVAKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO THE GOODYEAR TIRE& RUBBER COMPANY, OF AKRON, O'HIO, A. GORBORATION OF OHIO.

METHOD OF MAKING ARTICLES FROM F'IBIROU'S COMPOSITION.

Application filed September 16,1922. Serial No. 588,6 44.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Ann. M. I-IAMurn'r, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Akron, Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in'Methods of Making Articles from Fibrous Composition, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to a method of making articles from a fibrous composition, and it has particular relation to a method of molding such articles.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel method of the above designated character which shallbe simple and inexpensive to practice, and which shall provide articles having good wearing surfaces which ofier a relatively great resistance to tearing or to separation into laminations.

Heretofore, it has been customary,- in the manufacture of certain articles, such, for example, as the soles of shoes, which is contemplated by my present invention, to make the same by means of Fourdrinier machines, commonly used in the manufacture of paper. Articles made from this material must necessarily be punched orv cut from a sheet in which form it must be made continuously in order to be efiicient leaving a relatively large'proportion of waste material when the contour of the object being made is irregular. In the manufacture of soles for shoes, it is desirable'that the sole and heel be unitary and that-the instep portion be materially thinner than is the sole. When punched or c-ut from sheet material, this advantage cannot be secured as the entire sheet must be of the same thickness. H

In material manufactured by the ordinary Fourdrinier machine the fibers are disposed in a single, lane parallel to the wearing surface. Ma erial made by this method offers comparatively small resistance to being separated into layers or laminations.

By my invention I have provided a method which eliminates the necessity of the use of a .Fourdrinier machine, which is comparatively inexpensive, and which produces an article in which the fibers are disposed in all directions, thus providing a good wearing surface and offering a very high resistance to tearing. 'Also, no material whatsoever is wasted and the several portions of the article being manufactured can be made of any desired thickness.

tive View of a machine for making soles for shoes, illustrating one form which my invention may assume. T

In the drawing I show a container 3 connected, by means of a conduit 4 to a mold 5, the walls of which are composed of nonporous material, preferably impervious to liquid. In the drawing the mold 5 is of the form. of a sole of a shoe, and consists of two similar plate members 6 each having a contour similar to'that of the shoe sole to be formed. The members 6 are connected together at their edges by means of a-curved sidewall member 7. The walls 6 are removable from the curved member 7 and are held in position with respect thereto by means of clamping devices 8.

While the side wall 7 is illustrated as being comparatively high, it will be under- .stood thatthe material is originally made relatively thick and is compressed to the proper thickness by means of a suitable pressure applying apparatus, not shown. It will be noted that the side wall 7 is nartower in the instep portion of the sole than in either the heel 0r sole port-ion. The object of this construction is to make the instep of the sole thinner than the sole and heel portion, so that, when a uniform pressure is exerted upon the entire face of the member, the instep portion of the finished. member will be of the desired thickness.

Within the container 3 is disposed a quantity of wet fibers. These fibers are admitted to the mold 5 through the conduit 4 by the suitable operation of a valve member 9. After the mold is packed full with the fibers either by means of the pressure head of the fibers in the container 3, or by tamping, the valve 9 is closed. The mold is then opened and the molded article removed. It is next subjected to a heat treatment so as to dry the wet fibers contained therein. The pressure with which the fibers were forced into the mold causes them to stick together in the form into which they were molded after being removed therefrom.

In practicing my invention, I prefer to employ rubber coated fibers. These fibers are prepared by precipitating rubber in solution upon fibers suspended and dispersed therein. I prefer to subject the rubber coated fibers to a washing or displacing treatment consisting of a series of baths with precipitating liquids, the last bath preferably being with a liquid consisting of a proximately 60% alcohol and 40% toluol It is a fact that alcohol and toluol constitute an azeotropic mixture, evaporating in approximately equal pro ortions of alcohol and toluol, irrespective o the relative quantities of the two liquids in the mixture, within certain limits. The particles of rubber, and the fibers on which they are deposited, retain a certain'amount of the liquid in which the were immersed, so that, upon drying the bers, it is highly desirable that the alcohol content exceed the toluol content'so that the liquid remaining in the fibers and "the rubber, at any stage of the evaporation process, will comprise an excess of alcohol, which is a precipitant of rubber. This is highly deslrable owing to the fact that if the liquid remaining at any stage in the course of drying the fibers should be a solvent of rubber, the coating on the fibers would be dissolved, the rubber in center of the mass would migrate to the surface, and the bond between the fibers would be destroyed.

The fibers, after being coated'wit-h rubher in the original precipitating mixture, are strained therefrom, either in a drum washer, or, if desired, in a Fourdrinier machine, and treated with the displacing liquids, before being placed in the container 3. I have found that the most feasible proportions to em loy, so as to produce a high grade mat wit a minimum of manufacturing expense consists of a mass of which approximately 10% of the weight thereof is composed by the fibers, and the rubber, and the remaining 90% by the 60% alcohol 40% toluol mixture with which they are impregnated.

If the Fourdrinier machine is em loyed for straining and washin \the fibers, t ey should be thorou hly stirr and mixed before being lace in the mold 3, in order to cause the bers to extend in all directions.

It will be obvious that with the mixed u fibers forced into the mold 6, the fibers wi I assume all manner of different thus providing an article which Wlll ofiera high resistance to any tearing action or any tendency to separate the material into laminations. It will also be apparent that on account of the fact that the fibers are forced directly into a suitable mold rather than being out from a sheet, that absolutely no waste of fibers will occur during the various manufacturing ste s.

Although I have shown but a single form of my invention and have described in detail but a single application thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but that various minor modifications and changes may be made ositions,

therein-withoutv departing from the spirit of my invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. The method of making articles from fibrous material which comprises precipitating a coating of rubber on a quantity of fibers, straining said fibers from the liquid, depositing a sufiicient quantity of the wet fibers in a mold to fill the same, and drying the fibers. I

2. The method of making articles from fibrous material which comprises precipitating a coatin of rubber-on a quantity of fibers, strainmg said fibers from the liquid, depositing a sufficient uantity of the wet fibers in'amold to fill t 0 same, drying the fibers, and curing the rubber.

3. The method of making articles from fibrous material which comprises precipitating a coating of rubber on a quantity of fibers, straining said fibers from the liquid,

depositing the wet fibers in a non porous mold, removing themolded article from the mold and drying the same, and curing the rubber. I 7

4 The method of making an article from a fibrous material which comprises depositing a coating of rubber on a quantity of fibers and subsequently treating them with a mixture of solvent and precipitant of such proportions that an excess of precipitant will remain after the evaporation of the solvent, and molding the fibers into the desired form.

5. The method of making an article from a fibrous material which comprises depositing a coatin of rubber on a. quantity of fibers and su sequently treating them with a mixture in which the proportion of precipitant to solvent is at least equal to azeotropic mixture requirements during the period of evaporation, and molding the fibers to the desired form.

6. The method of making an article from a fibrous material which comprises depositing a coating of rubber on a quantity of fibers by means of a mixture of solvent and precipitant, and subsequently increasing the proportion of precipitant to solvent in the fibrous material so that the relative amount of precipitant to solvent is in excess of constant boiling point mixture requirements during the period of evaporation, and molding the fibers to the deslred form.

7. The method of making a fibrous article which comprises precipitating a coating of rubber on a quantity of fibers, subsequently treating them with a liquid com rising at least 50% alcohol, straining said ers from the liquid, depositing the wet fibers in a mold having solid walls, and drying the product in the mold. A

8. The method of making a fibrous article which comprises precipitating a coatin of rubber on a quantity of fibers, treating t em with a liquid comprising at least 50% alcohol, straining said fibers from the liquid, depositing the wetfibers in a mold having solid walls, drying the product, and curing the rubber on the fibers. v

9. The method of making a fibrous article which comprises precipitating aooating of rubber on a quantity of fibers, treating the fibers with a mixture consisting of more than 50% alcohol and less than 50% toluol, straining the rubber coated fibers from the liquid, and pressing them into a mold.

10. The method of making a fibrous article which comprises precipitatin a coating of rubber on a quantity of fi ers, treating the fibers with suflicient alcohol to form a liquid mixture in the fibrous material consisting of approximately 60% alcohol and signed my 40% toluol, and molding them into the desired shape.

11. I The method of making an article from a fibrous material which comprises precipitating a coating of rubber on a quantity of fibers from a mixture of rubber solvent and precipitant, and subsequently treating said fibers with sufiicient precipitant to ensure that a quantity thereof w1ll remain in the fibers after the solvent is evaporated, and molding the fibers to the desired form. In witness whereof, I have hereunto name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. ABEL M. HAMBLET.

Witnesses:

J. T. CHARLESON, F. A. LIND. 

